A moment in line at the grocery store offers a brief lesson in who we are -- as individuals and as a diverse nation of folks.
The checker turns to me clasping that printed chronicle of my purchases, congratulates me on how much I've saved, then looks down at the receipt and says, "Thank you, Mister...."
Then comes the hesitation -- and knowing that what comes next is just a guess at pronunciation, but one she's required to make.
"Soamie?" she says. "Is that close?"
....
That's part of the "Perspective" I recorded for KQED Radio and that airs on June 3 at 7:35 a.m.. Read the text or download the podcast at your leisure here. Have a name story you'd like to share? Comment below.
-- Steven Boyd Saum, Editor




Photo courtesy David Marks, KQED